Press Review 9 February 2005
LE PALMARES stresses, « the catholic church is ever getting worried». « At the base of the bishops' anger, transition leaders' laxity and struggle for power-sharing of the territorial administration, public firms, security services and diplomatic posts. For the bishops, people no longer need empty speeches but concrete actions likely to advance the process».
LA TEMPETE DES TROPIQUES goes back over the inter-institutional workshop's recommendations and writes «heads and members of twenty Civil Society/Forces vives organisations have denounced and rejected the workshop's recommendations which they consider as anti-constitutional declaring that they do not therefore bind the Congolese people».
LE PHARE refers back to the talks between William Swing and Javier Solana, respectively Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General in the DRC and High Representative of the European Union for foreign policy, commune and security in Brussels, and indicates, «besides the political situation in DRC, the forum was also to review the disarmament and repatriation of foreign armed groups in Eastern DRC and the integration and formation of the army and police. The organisation of DRC elections was also included in the meeting's agenda». LE PHARE focuses on the Security Council's report about the DRC and writes: «Weapons' trafficking in DRC: the UN Security Council has opened its Pandora box». The paper highlights that «UN investigators have explained the mechanism for the funding and supplying of Burundian rebel movements with military equipment, notably the CNDD/FDD but also FDLR». Referring to the leaflets against the Interhamwe, the paper says, «the joint verification mechanisms (DRC-Rwanda) will be soon operational in South Kivu». « The technical meeting in Bukavu aimed at preparing future consultations which, will help make the joint verification mechanism operational along 250Km on both sides in the South Kivu/DRC and Cyangungu/Rwanda », the paper says.
In another development L'AVENIR refers to recurrent killings in Ituri and accuses «the government of being an accomplice to Thomas Lubanga ». The paper further says, «as a bonus for slaughtering, alluding to the man whose accommodation in the Grand Hotel of Kinshasa for almost a year now has been paid for by tax payers; He keeps masterminding killings in spite of the nomination of some of his troops as army officers». However, « Monuc has played its part, the government must now neutralise such a gloomy personage», the paper concludes.